Political Parties Flashcards
Political Parties
An association of people who share common political beliefs and aspirations.
Parties normally seek to gain power or a share of power in order to further their aims and beliefs.
Traditional Policies of Left-Wing Parties
- State Controlled Economy
- Nationalization
- Progressive
- Collective
- Large State
- Progressive Taxation
Traditional Policies of Centrist (Liberal Parties)
- Small State
- Liberalism
- Free Economy
- Lower Tax
- Less Govt Intervention
- Individual Independence
- Liberty
- Protection of Rights/Liberties
- Social Tolerance
- Positive World View
Traditional Policies of Right-Wing Parties
- Strong State
- Nationalistic/Patriotism
- Isolationist
- Protectionist
- Large Military Spending
- Realist
- Negative World View
Functions of Political Parties
- Representation (Representing the views of its members; those who are right-wing tend to be drawn to the Conservatives, whilst those who are left-wing tend to be drawn to Labour).
- Participation (In order to win power/influence, parties encourage membership and putting forward election candidates. Parties vary in how far they allow members to shape policy, but all involve members in candidate selection and party leadership elections).
- Recruiting Office Holders (Party members can choose to stand for office, and parties themselves can also reject and deselect candidates - the Conservatives did this to incumbent MPs in Thirsk and South Suffolk in 2015).
- Formulating Policy (Parties generally embody ideas through policy, which is condensed into a manifesto during a general election).
- Providing Government (The winning party at a general election is given the opportunity to form a government; usually, this party will control Parliament, and pass its manifesto promises into legislation. The PM is not directly elected by the people, and is usually the leader of the largest party).
Funding of Political Parties
MPs are paid from general taxation, and can claim expenses to cover costs such as travel between their constituency and Westminster, and office costs.
Parties meet election costs from membership subscriptions and fundraising events. There is a special state allowance for the activities of the Parliamentary Opposition: Short Money.
Party funding is controversial as powerful businesses/groups/people can offer financial support in return for influence on policy, or involvement in politics (House of Lords). The Conservatives are mainly funded by large businesses, whilst Labour is mainly funded by Trade Unions.
Should the State Fund Parties?
Arguments For:
- Parties play a role in representative democracy
- Remove disparities between parties
- Could encourage more participation
- Curb corrupt influences
Arguments Against:
- Greater regulation can reduce independence
- It can be hard to decide how much to give
- Could isolate parties from members’ wishes
- Taxpayers could resent compulsory contributions
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000)
- Set up an independent electoral commission to supervise party spending.
- Party spending was capped at £30,000 in constituencies.
- Donations of more than £5000 had to be declared, and parties had to publish donation details.
- Donations from those outside of the UK was banned.
One issue since the Act has been the ‘Cash for Peerages’ scandal in 2006, in which wealthy individuals who donated to the Labour Party were nominated for honours/peerages, which exploited a legal loophole that only regulated outright gifts. Since, the rules have been tightened.
2015 General Election - South Thanet
Case Study
This was a Eurosceptic seat in Southeast England. Hoping to build on the momentum under UKIP, Nigel Farage tactically chose to contest this seat in the general election.
This was a threat for the Conservative Party, as Farage becoming an MP and UKIP splitting the right-wing vote was a real possibility.
The Conservatives spent thousands above the legal campaign limit for the constituency, using loopholes and national campaigns targeted at the constituency.
The Conservatives won the seat, but the Conservative candidate, Craig Mackinlay, went to court over the electoral spending. He was not prosecuted, but one Conservative Party Official was fined and given a suspended prison sentence.
Conservative Party (History/Origins)
The Conservatives started out as the Tory Party in the 17th century, who were aristocrats who came together to defend historic institutions like the Church of England as land-owning institutions.
By the 1830s, particularly under the leadership of Sir Robert Peel, the party was dedicated to the defence of property and traditional authority. Peel stressed the importance of gradual reform to protect and conserve established institutions.
The party was successful in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by broadening its support through their appeal to middle-class voters.
Conservative Party (Factions/Ideologies)
One-Nation Conservatism:
- Originated under Benjamin Disraeli in the 1800s, and sought to bridge the divide between the lower and upper classes, as a result of industrial capitalism.
- The leaders of society would be paternalistic and help those at a disadvantage, in return for them respecting their authority and leadership.
- This ideology peaked after WW2, as it fitted the post-war consensus amongst the electorate.
Thatcherism/New Right Conservatism:
- Named after Margaret Thatcher, and sought to reduce state intervention in the economy, based off of the economics of the likes of Hayek and Friedman.
- Rejected the ability to compromise, as seen in One-Nationism.
- Control public spending, with tax cuts to provide incentives for businesses to drive economic growth.
- Privatisation of Industry and Services to improve them and create wider consumer choice.
- Legal limits on the power of Trade Unions.
- Tough approaches to law and order, with increased police powers.
- Assertion of British interests abroad, in relation to challenges faced by Argentina and the USSR.
- Desire to protect national sovereignty against the growth of the EU
- ‘Roll Back The State’ and encourage society to take more individual responsibility
Post-Thatcher:
- John Major embraced a less confrontational form of Thatcherism, privatizing the railways.
- The Conservative Party became divided over the EU, which was a major factor for losing the 1997 election.
- William Hague, Iain Duncan Smith, and Michael Howard all failed to beat Blair.
- David Cameron became the party leader in 2005, and embraced a new, liberal image which emphasized One-Nationism over Thatcherism. He led the Conservatives to power once again in 2010.
Conservative Party (Policies)
Economy:
- Levelling Up Fund
- No rises in national insurance
- £3bn National Skills Fund
- Expand start-up loans for small businesses
- Reduce govt borrowing
Law/Order:
- Points-based immigration
- 10,000 more prison places
- 20,000 more police officers
- Expand electronic tagging
Welfare:
- 50,000 more nurses
- Raise funding by 29% (£650m extra a week)
- £1bn in social care funding
- 40 new hospitals
- £14bn more funding for schools
Foreign Policy:
- Maintain 0.7% of GDP Foreign Aid Funding
- Continue NATO spending
- Support UN Development Goals
Labour Party (History/Origins)
Labour was founded in 1900 by socialists like Keir Hardie and trade unions who were to the left of the Liberal Party, who aimed to get more working-class MPs in Parliament.
In 1924, Ramsay MacDonald formed the first Labour government for a brief period. They also held power from 1929-31, but struggled to implement policies due to the Wall Street Crash.
In 1945, Clement Attlee formed the first majority Labour government, which saw the creation of the modern welfare state.
Post-war Labour governments have moved towards ‘Social Democracy’, which is a managed capitalist economy with wealth redistribution and social justice.
Labour Party (Factions/Ideologies)
‘Old Labour’:
- The traditional, socialist wing of the party, embodying policies like nationalization, wealth redistribution, and improving the welfare state.
- Rejected the free market approach of the Conservatives, and to a lesser extent, ‘New Labour’.
- James Callaghan is regarded as the last ‘Old Labour’ PM, with Michael Foot being the last true ‘Old Labour’ leader.
‘New Labour’:
- After becoming the leader in 1983, Neil Kinnock began moving the party to the center to true and win more affluent voters.
- This continued under the leadership of John Smith and Tony Blair, with Clause 4 of the Labour Constitution being dropped in 1995.
- Links with trade unions weakened, and support from business grew, as ‘New Labour’ became a third way between socialism and free-market capitalism.
- Labour became more socially liberal and attached to the EU, focusing on wealth creation over redistribution.
Labour Post-2008:
- Gordon Brown was the last Labour PM. In 2008, he led Britain through the financial crash, which saw quantitative easing and the govt bailing out the banks, as well as higher taxes.
- Ed Milliband succeeded Brown, and did not want to move away from ‘New Labour’. He campaigned against austerity and sought to maintain a balance between businesses and trade unions, but his centrist views is largely attributed to the collapse of Labour support in Scotland.
